Shan Moore | September 27, 2021
The 2021 GNCC championship chase just got about as tight as it could get after AmPro Yamaha’s Steward Baylor grabbed his seventh win of the season at this weekend’s Burr Oak GNCC.
Baylor came into the Ohio round sitting four points behind FMF/KTM’s Ben Kelley in the series standings, but with the win the South Carolina rider moved into the series points lead for the first time this year and now sits a single point ahead of Kelley in the standings.
Steward Baylor came from behind to win the Burr Oaks GNCC in Ohio. The win puts him at the top of the championship leaderboard, but only by one point with two rounds to go. Photography by Ken Hill
Throughout the day, three riders—Baylor, Kelley and Magna1 Motorsports/Husqvarna’s Jordan Ashburn—all looked capable of winning the Burr Oak race. Ashburn grabbed the holeshot and led off and on for nearly half the race.
Heading into the fifth and final lap, Kelley looked as though he had the victory in hand, a victory he very much needed to hold off Baylor going into the final two rounds of the series.
Ben Kelly looked to have the win in hand, but the race was one lap too long. He still grabbed second.
But as he has done so many times this year, just when someone appeared to be in position to take a win, out of nowhere Baylor turns in an amazing last-lap flurry to steal away the victory.
Kelley rode well enough to win the race, but a mishap in the final stretch halted his chances.
“I got into the lead and had about an eight-second gap about halfway through the last lap,” said Kelley. “I knew I had it, but just something happened in the tight woods there, and I crashed and got caught up in a tree and it sheared my shifter off, so my bike was stuck in third gear. So, in that time, Stew was able to get around me. I gave it my all, but stuck in third gear, it was tough to finish the lap. I kept charging. Just came up short.”
On the first lap of the race, Baylor aggravated an old knee injury and was forced to sit down for most of the race. “On that first lap, I tried to pass someone in a slick corner, and I felt that knee pop, and I wasn’t able to straighten my knee after that,” said Baylor. “I was still able to run the pace, and I put myself in good position for the end of the race. With two to go, I had a mishap on a log and went down. On the last lap, I put some pressure on Ben and he went down on the very same log, and I was able to pass him.”
After having his moments up front, Ashburn rounded out the podium in third. The Tennessee rider has consistently been at the front of the field all year, and it’s only a matter of time before he gets his first win. “Smooth was fast here today, so I just trying to get good traction everywhere and go through the bumps nice and smooth,” said Ashburn. “We did that, and we led almost the whole race. I kind of got tired the last lap and didn’t make the hill climb. It took the wind out of my sails. Two races in a row I didn’t make the hill the last lap, but it’s good. We’re still learning. We’ve been at it a long time, but we’re progressing. We’re just inching towards the center of that box.”
Jordan Ashburn spent some of the race in the lead. He filled out the podium
After missing the previous round due to Covid protocols, Ricky Russell returned to action and posted a solid fourth overall, matching his second-bast finish of the year. The Coastal Racing GasGas rider had a runner-up finish at this year’s Tiger Run GNCC in Union, South Carolina.
Rockstar Energy Factory Husqvarna Racing’s Thad Duvall, who has missed more rounds than he has ridden due to injury, rounded out the top five. “I didn’t get off to the greatest jump, but I just kind of worked my way up into third at one time, but I just had a silly mistake and Ben got away from me,” said Duvall. “I battled all the way down to the finish. I could see Stew and Jordan at one time halfway through the race, so I knew I was close. Just a little bit short today of a podium, but we’re getting better.”
FMF/KTM’s Josh Toth ran in fourth for a good portion of the race but settled for six in the end. Trevor Bollinger, who grabbed the holeshot to start the race, led for a short period and ran with the lead group, but at the halfway point the Rockstar Energy Factory Husqvarna rider crashed in a ravine and lost a lot of time, eventually settling for seventh. Babbitt’s Online/Monster Energy/Team Green Kawasaki’s Josh Strang finished 10 seconds behind Bollinger for eighth.
Coastal Racing GasGas’ Johnny Girroir finished ninth overall to win the XC2 250 Pro class. Rockstar Energy Factory Husqvarna Racing’s Craig DeLong was ninth overall and second in the XC2 250 Pro class.
Johnny Girroir finished ninth overall to win the XC2 250 Pro class.
Magna1 Motorsports/Husqvarna’s Jonathan Johnson wrapped up the FMF XC3 125cc Pro-Am class championship by taking his ninth win of the season. Jason Lipscomb (KTM) was second, while Jake Froman (Husqvarna) was third. “I had a rough day there the last few laps,” said Johnson. “I crashed a lot and just had a rough day today, but I made it work. That’s all we did. A lot of hard work went into it. We did a lot of winning this year, so it showed and I’m happy to win the championship.”
Jonathan Johnson wrapped up the FMF XC3 125cc Pro-Am class championship.
BABS Racing Yamaha/Fly/Maxxis/Pro Circuit’s Becca Sheets took a big win in the XCW class, beating AmPro Yamaha’s Rachael Archer by nearly a minute and a half. “I think I was fourth going in the woods after the start,” said Sheets. “Kenzie [Tricker] was in front, and Rachel Gutish took a tumble in some slick stuff right at the beginning. I made the pass and then quickly got into second place and was right on Rachael Archer for a little bit. Then by the time I caught her, we went back and forth a bunch of times. I think I was flowing a little better than she was, so that’s where I made up time on her.” Babbitt’s Online/Monster Energy/Team Green Kawasaki’s Kori Steede was third, ahead of Gutish and Enduro Engineering/Fly Racing KTM’s Mackenzie Tricker.
Becca Sheets took a big win in the XCW class.
By Shan Moore
Photography by Ken Hill
2021 Burr Oak GNCC Results
- Steward Baylor (Yam)
- Ben Kelley (KTM)
- Jordan Ashburn (Hus)
- Ricky Russell (GG)
- Thad DuVall (Hus)
- Josh Toth (KTM)
- Trevor Bollinger (Hus)
- Josh Strang (Kaw)
- Johnny Girroir (GG)
- Craig DeLong (Hus)
